


The Songbird & the Ace

by fleshblush



Category: BioShock 1 & 2 (Video Games), BioShock Infinite
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Angst, F/M, Multiple Universes, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-09-24 07:17:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17096228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleshblush/pseuds/fleshblush
Summary: ❝The mind of subject will desperately struggle to create memories where none exist... ❞Barriers to Trans-dimensional Travel,-R. Lutece, 1889In which Elizabeth meets Jack, and struggles to part without him.





	1. Prologue

**OCTOBER 8, 1958**

 

The static felt like a drop of water, dripping from her fingertips and into the open air. It was a fresh intake as her eyes peered into this new world she had discovered. Her fingers ripped through the fabric so easily and with relief. There was a world she would escape to, and finish her mission all at the same time. Of all of the others she had been to before, she hadn't been in one where this beautifully isolated place stood. All alone, at the bottom of the sea, where one man could turn to drink away all of his guilt and shame. It angered her how easily he could do this, how easily he could just forget. She would make sure he would die for it.

And so, the brunette slipped through, as quietly and peacefully as a mouse. Before her eyes stood a loading dock, with a small crowd of people seemingly waiting to load into some of the bathyspheres lined up. Looking around, she felt out of place, with her decade old clothing and differently styled hair. It wouldn't take her long to camouflage into this new society.

After listening in on people's conversations, she overheard that only ones on a list would be allowed to travel down to the deep, dark city below. However, for her, it wouldn't be a problem.

She would get into the city, no sweat. Yet, she didn't know she was arriving at the worst time for Rapture and it's citizens.

* * *

 

**OCTOBER 11, 1958**

 

Days were always the same in Rapture.

Nothing too crazy ever happened. Nothing too daring ever settled itself within the lives of Rapture and her citizens. The people moved on within their lives below the sea, happily watching the little fish swim by, mere inches from their faces. It were a utopia for the simpletons, never having to worry over the rest of the world. For the rest of the world would never know they existed. It was a hiding place, a place where the rules were made to fit perfectly to them.

Elizabeth could see why he chose this place.

No one questioned her when she first arrived. No one even really cared. As long as she was quiet about her life here, didn't cause trouble and enjoyed herself. Could she do that? To blend in, absolutely. And she had been, for the past few days. Elizabeth had managed to obtain an apartment in Apollo Square and keep herself out of sight. Of course, she perused around, trying to catch on to little snippets of rumors of a man named Booker Dewitt. On the outside of her porcelain mask, she painted a ruby red smile for everyone who came to her. A friendly chirp of a song played from those lips and into the air, yet behind that mask was a face of raw rage. She was a jumble of sparks inside, firing off at every sign of the man that came to her. Yet she had to contain them, at least for now, until she found him and could tick another body off of her list. That was her mission; to kill every version of the disgusting man that would be Zachary Comstock. Past versions and future versions, even versions that remained Booker Dewitt. There had to be no chance for that man to rise again, to put another Elizabeth at risk.

The one she was chasing now had already completed his cycle of Comstock, and departed from the sky city and dug his way to the sea. She knew who he was being, which mask he was putting on this time. Booker Dewitt had made an appearance again, when all of his old acquaintances thought him dead. Yet, as soon as he arose, he disappeared, maybe to actually die this time. Only Elizabeth knew the truth in those words.

Now in Rapture, all left to do was to find him, kill him, and move on to the next. Though easy, it were truly easier said then done. The city was huge, a combination of twists and shops for the people to enjoy. She felt as though she had barely covered the surface of what Rapture was. And Comstock would make absolutely sure that he was buried in the deepest part of the sea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A prologue to a Jackabeth (Jack x Elizabeth) story that I haven't 100% written out yet but know I wanna do and I don't want this to get deleted in drafts :)


	2. Deep Down in Rapture

**SEPTEMBER, 1960**

 

It was down to the last few bodies now. Elizabeth felt as though she had traveled all over the world, searching and slaying for Comstock in all of his lambs' clothing. Different disguises yet the same hard, cold eyes. Sometimes, his eyes were warm and uplifting, reminding her of the man she did know, who protected and cared for her, who wanted the man who hurt her to be dead. It was hard to kill that man, a man she loved and missed entirely too much. Never in her life did she feel so lonely, more lonely that her days spend in that damned tower. Then, she had hope to meet someone and cherish them. Now, she had had a taste and felt it rip away from her. 

Sometimes she did things she shouldn't have. Like visiting a place that brought back both tears of happiness and sadness, though they were mostly sad now. She hadn't remembered the exact time she came here - time was the least of her concerns now - but she remembered what had taken place in it. An enormous window that had dust collecting at the corners, displaying the ever happening life right outside the glass curtain. A railing protruded from the ground up and this is where she leaned against, her eyes taking in every inch of sea that she could. This window especially, in this time frame and tear, is a place full of so much heartbreak, she didn't know why she ever thought to come back. In fact, she could still see the brown wing of the bird's body, now ripping and tearing from the work of the sea. It was such a pitiful thing to look at. A pity for a monster Elizabeth grew to cherish.

She would have to leave soon, she knew this. There were still a few more things to do but something captivated her to stay. She couldn't break free from the staring and the wondering and all of the thoughts she had about this exact moment of her life. Why had this happened? Why can't she just live the life Booker had meant for her from the beginning, as Anna? Surely, it was unfair for Elizabeth to sacrifice everything of her life for another version of her. A version of her who will have the love of Booker and will return that love all the same. A version who will have no idea of lighthouses and doors and men. A version she couldn't help but envy.

With a sigh the girl buried her face in her hands and mentally prepared herself for another tear, another world to learn and quickly forget about. Although she did enjoy destroying Comstock, she also grew tired of the workload. The learning to adapt and blend in. Sure, there were about a hundred versions of Rapture and Colombia and New York that were easy to get used to, but new places such as South America, China, India, etc. - they were a little tiresome to mold to. She never knew where the tears would lead her, only that Comstock loomed beyond them. This exact thought is what kept her going, and she kept repeating it to herself over and over as she broke away from the railing and turned, seeing the tear and the man and the lighthouse. Just as she was about to open another door, a bullet rocketed far too close to her head and landed itself into the wall near her. Her mind snapped away from the static and onto where the bullet had come from. This didn't last a mystery too long, for another came running straight for her and this time shot right through her upper arm.

A scream of pain escaped her mouth as she recoiled, a hand going to apply pressure to the wound, which had just begun to bleed. She hissed out a curse. How stupid could she be, standing in the open so calmly and easily? Very rarely did she have to venture to Rapture's 1960s. Comstock was rarely in Rapture at this time, as most times he was already dead or too spliced up to recognize the world anymore. Yet Elizabeth had full knowledge of what happened between 1957 and 1960; the Rapture Civil War. Between two men she had no care in the world for but disliked both all the same. She also knew that if she were correct about the time, that both men would die rather soon, to a name she couldn't quite remember. That hardly mattered now, with her running to take shelter behind a pot plant and apply more pressure to her wound. Her blood squeezed between her fingers and she thought about opening a tear to escape, however she needed to make sure no one saw. Elizabeth sucked in a breath and peered around the edge of the pot, looking to see one of those Big Daddies backing up into the clearing she just entered. She hissed out another curse.

Behind the metal monster crouched a little girl - more specifically a Little Sister. Elizabeth recognized those life-sucking yellow eyes and corpse-like skin. Before she could register why the Big Daddy was backing up, a shotgun blow to the monster's screen exploded. The Little Sister shrieked out loud and ran to the fallen Daddy in an instant. Without a moment's hesitation, the little girl started to sob, pushing at the monster's arms and crying out, "Get up, get up Mr. B!"

The sight swelled Elizabeth's heart. They were programmed to feel this way, she knew that, but she also knew of the real love that could form from a programmed mind. The bird that protected her in her days in the tower had proved that to her. She was just about to run over to her but the presence of another person made her stop.

He was very different from everyone she had seen in 1960s' Rapture. He didn't look spliced up, the only thing that indicated his stay in Rapture where his beaten up clothing and the dirt and little blood and sweat that spattered about his body. He cared a shotgun in both of his hands, his left gleaming with electricity as he walked toward the dead body of the Big Daddy. But the thing that really captured Elizabeth's interest was the dull, yellow glowing of both of his eyes. A glow that she had only seen on the Little Sisters.

She watched him dig through the tin body, finding ammunition and spare parts, even a small bit of ADAM. All the while the Little Sister backed away, her little demonic face full of tears. Elizabeth watched him carefully reload his shotgun and take out a syringe of EVE. He inched the sleeve of his tan sweater up a little more and plunged the needle into his flesh, using up only half of the vial before he pulled it out again. Elizabeth made sure she didn't make a sound. She knew that most of the time, the only reason a person would have the wraith of the Big Daddy was for tampering with the Little Sister that accompanied him. It was almost always, yet Elizabeth thought something else had invoked his man to kill the tin monster. This idea only stemmed from the glow of his eyes. Perhaps, though, this thought was too hopefully, for the man then walked closer to the Little Sister. Elizabeth still waited and only jumped up from behind the pot when the man grabbed onto the girl's arm and pulled her up from her spot on the tile floor, despite her screams to leave her alone. Soon, the pain in her left arm soon faded away. Her other arm had held her revolver in hand and she aimed it right at the man's head, shouting out, "Leave the girl alone."

This made the man freeze, as expected. The girl still wriggled and strained against the man's grasp. He wasn't letting go. Elizabeth then cocked back the revolver and said, "Let her go."

His next move was like a flash. He didn't comply and instead yanked the girl into his arms and held her close to him. Elizabeth yelled out, running now, at him, She still aimed her barrel at his brown hair but stopped when his veins started to emit a soft glow. From beneath his tan sweater to the tips of his fingertips, his veins seemed to transfer its' glow from his body to the Little Sister's body, as his fingers now rested themselves onto the top of her head. The girl still protested but as her own veins started, her body and mind came to a calm. Elizabeth watched as the color came back to her cheeks, and her eyes reverted back to a honey-like brown. Her breathing, which rasped out her two-toned voice soothed back to her girlish, little voice from before. Elizabeth breathed out a sigh as she realized he cured her.

She couldn't break her stare away as the man turned around and carried the girl to a vent opposite of where he stood, right behind Elizabeth. They even locked eyes as he passed her, and she turned to continue to see. The girl seemed exhausted in his arms and he carried her the rest of the way. Before she climbed into the gold vent, she gave the man a peck on his cheek and hummed a quick, "Thank you mister." He nodded his head back in reply and into the vent she went, disappearing before both of their eyes.

There was a small amount of silence before Elizabeth breathed out, "You cured her. How did you do that?"

"Tenenbaum," he replied, turning now to look at Elizabeth. He didn't say another word after.

This made Elizabeth raise an eyebrow. "Tenenbaum? Isn't she under Olympus Heights, in the sewers?"

"With the Little Sisters," he replied again, not saying much after.

Perhaps he didn't trust her, which she didn't take any offense to. There were no people one could trust in Rapture. If he were new, which she expected him to be, maybe his trust was especially hard to gain. Again, Elizabeth understood this. However, she had many more questions. "Are you helping her cure the girls in the city?"

"Not especially," he said, and more words came after this time. "I'm trying to reach Atlas, but help the girls when I come across them."

"Atlas?" Elizabeth almost spat out the same. It left a nasty taste in her mouth. "He's still alive?" To which the man only shrugged. "Well, I guess it doesn't hurt to introduce myself. I'm Elizabeth."

"Jack. And Elizabeth? You're bleeding an awful lot."

It was like the instant he said those words, the pain returned. It suddenly sprung onto her, catching her by surprise. Her eyes cast themselves down to look at her arm and come to see her entire sleeve soaked in blood. It ran down her hand and across her fingertips, even getting a few droplets onto the dark blue of her skirt. Her good hand went up to cover the wound again but this time it hurt way too much for her to do so. She grimaced in pain and didn't even realize that Jack had came up to her, looking at the wound with his eerie yellow eyes. Without a word, he unclasped the first aid kit attached to his belt and opened it, pulling out gauze, a needle and thread.

"You're going to help me?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's the least I can do for shooting you."

**Author's Note:**

> Updated prologue.


End file.
